Portable room humidifier



May 26, 1953 D. M. Dow 2,639,905

PORTABLE ROOM HUMIDIFIER Filed July 15, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 pan INVENTOR Dewey M Dow ATTORNEY May 26, 1953 D M, Dow 2,639,905

PORTABLE ROOM F/IUMIDIFIER I Filed July 15, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Oewey M 00w WM a, 42m.

ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE PORTABLE ROOM HUMIDIFIER:

Dewey MlDow, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Air-Way Electric Appliance Corporation, Toledo, Ohio,,

acorporation of Delaware Application J ul-y15, 1949; SerialNo. 105,009. r

6 Claims. (01. 261 -29) This. inventionv relates to humidifiers but. more particularly to a portable humidifier for room use;

An object is to produce a humidifier for room use by which a current of air from the room. is constantly forced through a. liquid screen in con tact with liquid for increasing the. moisture contactlofthe air Within the room.

Another object is to produce-a simpleand inexpensive humidifierwhich, bymeans of a motor driven fan, airv iskept inconstant circulation.

and. brought into contact with water and which incorporates a fountain thereby providing a unit which is not only satisfactory for humidifyin the air butalso presents a pleasing and attraclfive-appearance;

A further object is to produce a room humidifier which has the new and improved features of construction, arrangement andoperation hereinafter described, and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, an embodiment of'the inmention isshown in the. accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of the humidifier;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 isa transverse sectional view-onthe line 3-43 of Figure 1;

Figure 4: is a vertical sectional view onthe line-4+4 ofFigure l; and

'Figure 51s a vertical sectional view; onthei line 5-5- of Figure 1.

The illustrated embodiment oithe invention;

comprises a humidifying device particularly for rivets, to the legs 10. thelegs l9 inqthe region of the band llrby rivets M- area series ofequi-distantly spacedledges 15 on which restlaterally extending arms iii-which" are secured. asv by welding, to the bottom of-atan ll. 'Iheend portionsoftherarms lZha-ve a pair 10f downwardly extending. flanges lB'iWhiGh are disposedon opposite sidesofthe. respective ledge. and militate. against thearms lSxfrom:

slippingofiifrcm theledsie'liii "The tank llis of substantial depth and: pro vides. a water reservoir for the humidifier; one side of the tankll is a spout lawh-ich projects laterally slightly beyond the legs Hi and" provides a convenient filling opening for replen 1,:

2. ishing thewater level within the reservoir. Ad.- jacent the bottom of thetank I1 is atpump hOUSr' m 201 in whichsis disposed a pump 2| of any suitable or well-known structure. The pump housing 20 has-.anopening (notsho wn) to the i is rigid with a motor support 28 in whichan electric motor 29 seats. Disposed within the tube 2'! is ashaft 3t, the lower end of which is operativelyconnected to the water pump 2i and the upper-rend: of which is suitably connected: to the armatureshaft of the:motor 29 so ,thatthemotor:

29 thus .drives the pump 2 I.

Itwilhbe observed that the-electric motor 29 is: disposed above the upper end of the tank It andwis supported; by a plurality of equi-distantly spaced :tubularrods 3] which extend radially with respect-to the motor, theinner ends of the rodsbeing engaged in sockets in themotor support zfl and secured in, place by-set screws 33; The outer, endsof the tubular rodstl rest in a rubberbloek 34-which are supportedron ledges 35 secured to Each rubber block- 3&- has a U-shaped cut-out 34- on its inner face the legs H]: or band: It;

in'iwhich the adiacentend of the tubular rods "3! rest. Thus-itwill' be apparent'that the vibration from the. electric motor Zfidscushioned by'the rubber; blocks; 34;

Formed 'in' the upper side-of'one of the tubu.

larrods 3| I is; a pair of longitudinallyspaced openings toreceive the cord Ilitfor delivering electricalicurrent to the motor as. This i to enable the cordtob'e lceptdry and out of contact withthe waterrpassing over the tube. A flange fitting fills-disposed adjacent each of-the'openings into. such tubein such position that any liquid from above will :not enter these openings but; williflow' aiongthe flangesrof the fittings and into the't-ankll; plained hereinafter.

For holdingzthe. 00135361 tubingiz inits uprightrods 3! f are cushioned in rubber andisincetthe' upper" end of thextubing'. 22-is connected to. a rubber tube: 23, vibrational noises areobviatcd;

This will be -morefully err--- Supported on ledges 39 formed in the upper portion of the rubber blocks 34 is a ring-like pan 40 having an outer wall 4| which curves upwardly and outwardly, terminating in a downwardly extending flange 42 and a relatively short upright inner wall 43 spaced a relatively short distance from the outer wall 4|. Secured, as by welding, to the bottom wall of the pan 4D is a sleeve 44 which is spaced from and parallel to the inner wall 43 but extends a short distance above the upper end of the sleeve 43. The lower end portion of the sleeve 44 provides a trough 45 in the bottom of which is an annular series of relatively closely spaced openings 46. The construction is such that water which fills the pan to the height of the inner wall 43 can overflow into the trough and from the trough 45, the water trickles into the tank or reservoir |1 through a foraminous metallic screen 41. The screen 41 is in the form of a cylinder and is provided in its upper end with a series of grommets 48 through which the tubular rods 3| extend. In this manner, it will be apparent that the screen cylinder 41 is supported in vertically disposed position by the tubular rods 3|. Within the sleeve 44 is disposed a radial bladed fan 49 connected to be driven by the electric motor 29.

Supported slightly above the mouth of the pan 40 is a trough 50 which is of less diameter than the mouth of the pan 40 and has a domeshaped central portion 5|, a trough portion 52 and a downwardly and outwardly inclined overflow wall 53 which terminates in a relatively shallow trough 54 at the outer edge, the underside of the trough 54 being providedwith an annular series of closely spaced openings 55 arranged to allow water to drip "therefrom into the pan 40. The trough 40 rests upon a plurality of downwardly and outwardly inclined legs 56 which have rubber feet 51 engaging the upper edge of the sleeve 44. The upper ends of the legs 56 curve downwardly from the trough and are riveted to a depending cone-shaped bafile 58.

The fitting 24 extends through and is secured to the dome-shaped portion 5| of the trough and mounted on the upright tube 25 are three pans or troughs 59, 60 and 6| of varying sizes, the upper one being the smallest and the bottom one being the widest. This enables water in fountain fashion from the nozzle 56 to overflow successively from the pan 6| through and into the pans 60, 59 and into the trough 52.

A screen cylinder 62 surrounds the legs H) between the rings l2 and I3 and provides a grill or enclosure for the side of the apparatus.

In operation, the water is pumped from the tank H by the pump 2| through the tube 22, rubber tube 24 and vertical tube 25 from which it issues in fountain fashion from the nozzle 26. The water then overflows successively from the pans 6|, B0 and 59 and into the relatively large trough 52. From the trough 52 the water passes down the outwardly inclined wall 53 and then drips from the trough 54 into the pan 40. From the pan 40, the water overflows the inner wall 43 and then passes from the trough 45 down along the screen cylinder 41 and returns to the tank or reservoir l1. draws in air from the outside through the screen cylinder 62 and through the screen cylinder 41 where it is brought into intimate contact with the water which passes thereover. From the inside of the screen 41 the air is forced upwardly and due to the cone baffle 48 is forced outwardly and leaves the apparatus in the space between The radial bladed fan 49 'water. 40 may contain plant life, a constant supply of 4 the trough 54 and the outwardly flaring wall 4|. Here the air passes through a water screen and picks up additional moisture. Thus the stream of air is brought into contact with two curtains or screens of water as Well as comin into contact with the surface of the water in the tank l1 and in the pan 40. This enables the air to pick up a substantial amount of moisture.

From the above description, it will be manifest that I have produced not only an exceedingly satisfactory room humidifier but one which is attractive and inviting, the fountain effect creating constant source of interest. The vibrational parts are mounted in rubber so that the noises andrattles are virtually eliminated, the only sound being the bubbling and trickling of the The arrangement is such that the pan water being maintained for that purpose.

It is to be understood that numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operation may be effected without departing from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A humidifier comprising a liquid reservoir, 2. ring-like container having a relatively low inner wall spaced above said reservoir, said inner wall being arranged to enable liquid overflowing same to drop into said reservoir, a pan spaced above said container and arranged to enable liquid to drop into said container, a pump and connections for forcing liquid from said reservoir to said pan, a fan inside the inner walls of said container, an electric motor common to said pump and fan, a bracket supporting said motor, arm means radiating from saidbracket, and a rubber-like mounting for supporting the outer ends of 'said arms, said mounting also servin to support said container.

2. A humidifier comprising a liquid reservoir, a ring-like container having a relativel low inner wall and a relatively high outer wall, said container being spaced above said reservoir, a sleeve spaced from said inner wall and having a. perforated trough at the lower end secured to the container whereby liquid overflowing the inner wall drops into said trough and from said trough liquid drops into the reservoir, a screen cylinder having its upper edge adjacent the Derforated bottom of said trough to enable liquid to travel along said screen to the reservoir, 11 pan spaced above said container and arranged to enable liquid therefrom to drop into said container, a pump and connections for forcing liquid from said reservoir to said pan, a fan for creating a stream of air from the outside between the reservoir and container and then to the outside through the space between the container and said pan, and motor means'for driving said fan and pump.

3. A humidifier comprising a liquid reservoir, a ring-like container having a relatively low inner wall and a relatively high outer wall, said container being spaced directly above said reservoir, a sleeve inside of said inner wall and extending thereabove, a trough on the lower end of said sleeve connected to said container, said trough being perforated to enable liquid to drop therefrom into said reservoir, a pan spaced above said container and having a trough on the outer rim thereof, said trough being perforated to enable liquid to drop therethrough into said container, a cone-like baflle directly beneath said pan. and in contact therewith, legs connected to said baffle and inclining downwardly, the outer ends of said legs resting against the upper edge of said sleeve whereby the legs support the baffle and said pan, a fan disposed inside said sleeve, a pump and connections for forcing liquid from said reservoir to said pan, and an electric motor common to said fan and pump to drive same.

l. A humidifier as claimed in claim 3, comprising a plurality of graduated pans cooperating with said first pan to provide a fountain efiect, a tube providing a support for said graduated pans, and a nozzle at the upper end of said tube.

5. A humidifier comprising a standard, a liquid reservoir supported by said standard, a pump within said reservoir, an electric motor above said reservoir, a shaft depending from said motor operatively connected to drive said pump, a bracket for supporting said motor, said bracket having a depending tube enclosing the pump driving shaft, a plurality of sockets arranged radially or" said bracket, tubular arms having their inner ends connected to said sockets respectively, one of said tubes having. spaced holes to receive the cord for said motor whereby the cord enters one hole, extends through the respective tube and out through the outer hole, flange means adjacent said holes respectively for militating against liquid entering same, rubber blocks carried by said standard for supporting the outer ends of said rods, a ring-like container spaced above said reservoir, said container having a relatively low inner wall and a relatively high outwardly flared outer wall, a ledge on said rubber mounting for supporting said container, a sleeve spaced from the inner wall of said container and having a perforated trough at the bottom thereof connected to said container, said trough receiving liquid overflowing from said container, a screen air to flow outwardly, legs connected to said cone and inclining downwardly with the outer ends thereof resting upon the upper edge of said sleeve, said legs supporting said cone and said pan, a tube fixed to said pan and extending upwardly therefrom, a plurality of graduated pans carried by said tube, a spout on the upper end of said tube, tube means connecting said tube and said pump to enable said pump to force liquid from said reservoir through said tube means and tube and discharge same from said spout, and a screen cylinder about said standard enabling air to be drawn therethrough by said fan.

6. A humidifier comprising a liquid reservoir, a ring-like container spaced above said reservoir, means providing a perforated trough at the lower end of said container to enable liquid overflowing therefrom to drop into the trough, foraminous sheet material having its upper edge adjacent a perforated bottom of said trough to enable liquid to travel along the same to the reservoir, a pan spaced above said container and arranged to enable liquid therefrom to drop into said container, a pump and connections for forcing liquid from said reservoir to said pan, 2. fan for creating a stream of air from the outside between the reservoir and container and then to the outside through the space between the container and said pan, bafiie means for directing the air from said fan in a lateral direction, and motor means for driving said fan and pump.

DEWEY M. DOW.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 731,979 Tudor et a1 June 23, 1903 884,610 Rateau Apr. 14, 1908 1,085,578 Held Jan. 27, 1914 1,471,101 Cleary Oct. 16, 1923 2,325,692 Maddox Aug. 3, 1943 2,350,591 Coey June 6, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 416,702 France Aug. 13, 1910 

